


Unanticipated Effects (InoSaku)

by kayr0ss



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Smut, G!P, Girl Penis, Humor, Mutual Masturbation, Not-crack fic, Sakura has a P, Slow Romance, Smut, eventual sex i promise its going to happen /one day/ LOL, explicit content, inosaku, sakuino - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-23 22:48:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16168400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kayr0ss/pseuds/kayr0ss
Summary: Sakura encounters an unfortunate accident while doing a mission in Orochimaru's lair. The results are fascinating, to say the least. Now, Sakura has to deal with the consequences of growing an extra appendage and Ino finds herself in a situation to help. But that's all there was to it: helping. Developing feelings should have been out of the question. Yuri, InoSaku, G!PSakura





	1. An Unanticipated Effect

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys!
> 
> First of all, some warnings: THIS FIC CONTAINS SAKURA MYSTERIOUSLY GROWING A DICK. So if you don't like it, please leave now because you'll just get upset. Seriously.
> 
> Second of all, to the people who are up for that: I hope you guys enjoy! This fic is something that's been on my mind for a while, but I never had the courage write because I have no idea how to write about penises (LOL).
> 
> It's kind of like a challenge to myself, to take such a foreign situation (in this case, body part) and write it into the canon-verse in a way that's true to their characterizations and whatnot. This is an adventure as much as it's an exercise for me, so if you have any tips, any comments or corrections, if my writing is making anyone uncomfortable, or is offensive to anyone's gender or sexuality, please feel free to let me know via a review. It will really, really be appreciated and I will do what I can to improve it.
> 
> This fic will likely span around 4-5 chapters, so I hope you all stick around! PS I don't own Naruto.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Nope."

"This is… this is some kind of sick joke, right?"

"I can at least guarantee that it won't be permanent."

"For… how long?"

"Two weeks at least, a month at most?"

Sakura wanted to bang her head against the office wall. Who cares if she struck hard enough to demolish the entirety of the Hokage Tower? Kakashi-sensei seemed bored with his 'Hokage-duties' lately; it might give him something to do.

She felt her _other_ mentor lay a hand on her shoulder and give her an almost-amused smirk.

"Tsunade-shishou, it's not funny." Sakura huffed.

"It kind of is." The sannin grinned. "At least have fun with it!"

Sakura flushed pink from head to toe. "N—No way!"

"Surprise us." The elder woman laughed outright.

"I _knew_ going to Orochimaru's lair was a bad idea."

The blonde woman nodded in agreement. "He sure had some pretty _interesting_ experiments."

'Interesting' was quite the understatement. That completely ingenious _freak_ was dabbling into research which was _so…_ she didn't know, was it even surprising at this point? She decided they should have probably expected it; who _else_ would spend so much time developing serums with such—what would be a good term? Ah, _unanticipated_ —effects on one's anatomy.

A perfect example of which is the uncomfortable bulge in-between her legs.

The anomalous mass of tissue was disconcerting and fascinating at the same time—a circumstance which ended up with Sakura in the Hokage's office, facing _both_ of her mentors. Kakashi, who had been quietly observing up until this point, finally spoke up.

"How did it even happen?"

"I had a gash in my arm from a shuriken. When I was closing in on the rogue-nin raiding Orochimaru's lab, he tried to distract me by grabbing a handful of vials and throwing it right at me. My guess is that a serum was introduced directly into my bloodstream. _Interesting_ effects indeed." Sakura explained with visible irritation.

"You're taking this surprisingly well." Kakashi noted on a good note.

"She already took it out on the rouge-nin. Kept healing the poor guy so she could pound him in again." Tsunade almost looked proud.

"He had it coming! He got me stuck with this—this _thingy_!"

"Don't worry." The Hokage had another smile showing through his eyes. "I'm sure your _thingy_ is impressive nonetheless."

" _Sensei!_ "

"Shizune and I will be right on it." Tsunade reassured her. "Think you can live with one of your Jonin slightly incapacitated, Kakashi?"

The silver-haired Hokage sighed back into his chair looking like he couldn't believe it himself.

"No problem so long as you can fix it."

Sakura groaned for what must have been the hundredth time.

"But, Sakura." Her silver-haired sensei looked dead serious. "Are you sure you don't want to just keep it?"

"K—KAKASHI-SENSEI, YOU _PERVERT!_ "

* * *

"Naruto-kun, you are officially the most dickless member of Team Seven."

"Sai, you fucking asshole! I swear I'm going to—"

Whatever Naruto was going to say, it was too late; Sakura already landed a clean blow on Sai. He recovered fast enough ("It seems I've grown used to your punches, Sakura-chan."), and was flashing another one of those god-forsaken smiles—but it was different. Genuine. Normally, a smile like that from Sai would be a nice thing—but this time it was a little infuriating because it meant he really _did_ find this whole ordeal hilarious.

Maybe she should punch him again?

"I feel like you two aren't taking this as seriously as you should be!" Sakura growled.

"But we are!" Naruto said in between slurps of his ramen.

"You've turned it into a running gag." She dropped her head down to the counter.

"So you have a dick! Big deal!"

"Apparently, a much bigger deal than yours, Naruto-kun." Sai quickly pointed out.

"Stupid piece of sh—"

Sakura sighed, exasperated. "This is exactly what I meant. I think I'm just going to lock myself up at home until Tsunade-shishou and Shizune figure it out."

"Oh that's gonna be hard." Naruto gave her a critical look. "Especially during the mornings, you'll be stuck in there and you're gonna wanna rub it out so mayb—"

"Too much information!" She shrieked.

"Information you _need_ , Sakura-chan." Sai said informatively. "I can accompany to you a section of the library which has books on the male physique and sexuality."

Pushing her bowl of ramen forward, Sakura cringed. "No thank you, _both_ of you. Also, I think I lost my appetite."

Naruto stopped mid-way through his noodles and looked at Sakura with unsure, narrowed eyes.

"What?" She growled.

"This is going to be so weird but… can we _see_?"

Needless to say, he got the Kyuubi punched right out of him.

When the meal was finished (and Naruto's broken nose was repaired), the trio paid their bill and walked out of Ichiraku sated. Naruto was a man on a mission: his best friend needed guidance and he was all too happy to help.

"You need different clothes." He said with his usual energy. "You can't keep wearing your skirts or shorts unless you want a tent setting up camp down south."

"It's still so weird to think about that." The kunoichi mumbled, feeling more embarrassed by the second.

"Perhaps I can lend some of mine?" Sai innocently asked. "Naruto-kun's pants are likely to be too large and baggy, but I've always preferred my clothing to be tighter."

Naruto nodded his agreement. "Also, use the pants that come with your official Jonin uniform. And ask for a crotch guard! Goodness. _Ask for one_. You can live without the experience of getting kicked in the nuts."

"Enlightening."

"Hm. Aim when you pee. Shake out the last bits and—"

"I have to _shake_ it?" Sakura squealed.

"It's uh… hard to explain. Cross that bridge when you get there." Naruto shrugged. "What else, Sai?"

"Be careful with pant zippers."

"Yes!" Naruto shivered. "And don't cross your legs all the time, I know you're used to doing that but you gotta give your little guy some space to breathe."

"It gets even weirder when you guys personify it."

"Should I be thinking of a nickname already?" Sai smiled.

"Pick a room number in the hospital, Sai. You'll end up in it if you so much as even _try._ "

"I think will spare myself the pain of Sakura-chan's monstrous strength." Sai held up his hands in defense.

Naruto held in an undignified snort.

"What is it?" Sakura glared, fist at the ready. Naruto was able to put two and two together: Sakura was going to punch him if he didn't tell; and she was going to punch him anyway if he did—so he might as well.

" _The Jackhammer!"_

* * *

Hinata sighed, and it _almost_ looked like she rolled her eyes. "Naruto-kun is in the hospital. I'm passing by to bring some flowers and food."

Shino and Kiba shot her a sympathetic look, the latter huffing in annoyance.

"The fuck did your boyfriend tell Sakura this time?"

* * *

"Forehead."

Sakura did her best not to groan. After the exhausting afternoon she spent with Naruto and Sai, she did _not_ need Ino's shit right now.

" _Hey._ I'm talking to you."

"Yes, pig?"

"Where have you _been_?" Ino took the liberty of taking the empty seat across Sakura. The pink-haired kunoichi was hoping to have a peaceful and very much solitary dinner out at the Yakiniku, but a flash of blonde and blue meant she wasn't going to have that luxury tonight. "Seriously, did you resign without telling us or something?"

"I just asked for a quick break," Sakura grumbled, playing with her food. Ino, the ever-observant best friend, picked up her unease like a dog on a scent.

"Spill it. Did Sasuke come back and are you in love with him, _again_?"

"Does it always have to be about Sasuke?" She snapped back.

"Down, kitty!" Ino held her hands up, although she didn't look as offended. "I was _kidding_ , god. Now I definitely know something's up."

" _Nothing_ is up,"— _aside from inside my pants_. "Shouldn't you be with Choji and Shikamaru anyway?"

"I was, but we just finished and I spotted you sulking alone on this table on our way out," Ino leaned forward on her elbow, her chin on the back of her hand as she inspected Sakura.

"You aren't going to go, are you?" The medic sighed.

"Nope. Why are you so _mopey_?" A poke to the rhombus on her forehead. "It's on unlike you—these days you're either a ball of sunshine or an angry, destructive little monster."

Sakura was ready to fire back, but the banter was so _familiar_ and childish that she found herself chuckling.

"Aaand, she's back!" Ino grinned. "I am _amazing_."

"And _annoying_."

"Whatever, love you me." Ino leaned back, crossing her arms and looking pleased with herself. "Anyway, what's with the break? _Did_ something happen?"

A parliament of mini-Sakuras had formed inside her head: there was a full-on debate with herself as prosecution, defendant, judge and jury—should she tell Ino? Why _shouldn't_ she if Naruto and the others already knew anyway? Would she be weirded out? For someone who seemed so judgmental, Ino actually wasn't at all—that didn't seem to be a problem. However, perhaps it was easier to tell Naruto and Sai because they were _boys_ who knew what Sakura was dealing with.

_Had Ino even_ seen _one before? Ugh! Good god, why am I even thinking about that._

"Uhm…" Sakura faltered. "I promise I'll tell you another time."

It looked like it took a _whole lot_ of Ino's self-control but she deflated, sighing in defeat as she muttered, " _Fine._ "

"Thanks," the medic said sincerely. "It's just been overwhelming for me and I'm still trying to adjust to what happened—I promise to keep you in the loop when I've caught up with all of it myself."

A shadow of worry passed over Ino's features, "it's nothing—terminal… is it?"

"No!" Sakura felt her spirits lighten. _Yeah, it could be worse._ "It's nothing like that… it's just super weird and uncomfortable."

"Now I'm just dying to know," Ino pouted.

It was kind of cute, Sakura noted at the back of her mind. And— _oh shit_ —something inside of her baggy Jonin pants seemed to agree as well. Tsunade-shishou had warned her about this. Her _appendage_ was relatively new, and she should expect that sometime soon it was going to start acting up during inopportune moments—which was now. Sakura could feel herself go red out of embarrassment. Was this seriously happening right now? _Seriously?_ On the flipside, she was relieved to find out that it didn't suddenly go rock-hard out of nowhere; it was more of a little throbbing pulse going downwards—as if there was a pump somewhere and each press made her a little bit stiffer.

"Okay, now I'm worried. _Sakura_ , holy shit. You look red as tomato." Ino began fussing, and Sakura cursed every neurotransmitter in her body that decided _now_ was the time to wake the dormant hormones up.

Couldn't it have waited until she woke up in the morning? Naruto said that's what happened most of the time! _Think, Sakura. Logical, medical solutions. You are_ not _going to run to the bathroom to jack-off—you don't even know_ how!

"I'm okay," Sakura instinctively closed her legs. Bad idea—she felt it going harder. "Ino, c—could you had me a glass of water?"

"Got it," her friend had lost the usual teasing in her voice. "Sakura, are you running a fever? Here, I put some ice; the cold might help."

_Cold!_ Sakura had an epiphany. _I need a cold shower!_

Ino nearly yelped in surprise when Sakura bolted upright, stiff as rod—pun intended. The medic hastily shuffled through her purse, fishing out a bill and slamming it down the table to pay her due. "I have to go— _now._ "

"Sakura, what the hell? That's it—I'm sleeping over."

"Ino, _please_ , I just need to deal with this on my own!"

"No, you don't!" Ino held her ground, staring back at Sakura's solid glare with an equally intimidating gaze. "Look, I may give you a lot of shit but I _worry_ and I hate that you aren't telling me what's wrong."

"I'm just—"

"If you're embarrassed or something, then I'm offended." Ino growled. "I don't give shit a what it is; it's freaking you out and you're going to do something stupid if I let you deal with this alone at your house."

Sakura _hated_ it when Ino was right.

"I—I really need a cold shower."

"Uhm… what?"

* * *

Ino's reaction was painfully predictable.

After an initial bout of shock, there was concern (which Sakura appreciated). However, once all of Sakura's physical functions were well and accounted for, Ino's shock and concern had slowly melted into a convoluted mixture of amazement and hilarity. This was apparently _painfully_ entertaining.

"Are you seriously laughing at me?"

Ino was almost turning blue. "Please don't hate me—but it _is_ kind of funny."

"Shishou said the exact same thing," the medic sighed.

"You should have seen the look on your face!" Ino giggled, "—seriously. And the _way_ you said you needed a cold shower!"

"I am _this_ close to kicking you out of my house, Ino-pig!" Sakura felt a vein pop at her forehead.

"I'd apologize, but…" the blonde grinned.

Sakura resigned herself to the fate she got herself in and prodded over to her shower without another word. Yes, finally. Relief. She _really_ hoped this would work because the stiffness was a little uncomfortable—it probably got painful when it was fully-erect. She brought a change of clothes with her because Ino was probably doing her nails on Sakura's bed, and walking out there naked was out of the question. Slowly, one by one, her garments fell away and the exposure pleasantly cooled her. Still, she had a feeling she wasn't going to enjoy this. She preferred the warmth of a steaming shower—she turned on the tap and goosebumps had immediately risen at the first sign of contact. This was more like a _super-cold_ shower. She stayed still for a moment, allowing her body to adjust to the temperature before she began to lather the grim and sweat of the day off. It wasn't all the bad, she realized, except that the problem between her legs was still very much a problem. She thought it would kind of just go _limp_ or something. _Maybe not, ugh. What am I going to do?_

She chose to ignore it for several more minutes, but the sensation was persistent. Somehow, she wasn't surprised. Sakura could feel the tendrils of curiosity slipping into the back of her mind. How would it… _feel?_ She was no foreigner to the male sexual organ, she was a _doctor_ —she knew that it got hard because of an extensive network of blood vessels, she knew that there was a mass of pleasure-sensitive-nerve-endings scattered across the organ, but knowing all this just made her more _curious._ What would it feel like if she— _ah._ Oh, _dear._ Thinking about it had sent another pulse down, hardening it significantly more. The cold shower was _not_ working and maybe it wouldn't hurt if she… oh, yes. She was going to. Her body was moving faster than her mind could protest, and slowly but surely, her calloused hand was wrapping itself around her member. _Oh, kami-sama._ Her breath shuddered. It was so fucking _warm_ and—and _good._ She slowly squeezed— _fuck—_ her free had darted forward to support her weight against the bathroom wall. She kept her other hand where it was, firmly wrapped around herself, and she heaved to steady her breathing. She reluctantly slid her hand up and down, and immediately stopped. It wasn't unpleasant… but it wasn't _pleasant_ either. Perhaps the running water was poor lubrication, the area was so sensitive that rough friction hurt.

Sakura felt exasperated, hot and bothered. The shower didn't work—now it was just harder. Not knowing what else to do, she closed the tap. She dried herself and dressed before forcing herself out of her own bathroom.

"I'm going to go ahead and assume the shower didn't work," Ino's amused eyes were _not_ on Sakura's face.

"It isn't as funny when it's _your_ problem."

"Lighten up, at least Tsunade-shishou promised it'll go away."

"Not fast enough," Sakura said miserably. She walked around her bedding, carefully lying down on the space Ino wasn't taking up.

She wouldn't say it out-loud, but she was thankful that Ino insisted on sleeping over. Unwanted physiological anomalies were quickly forgotten in favor of hospital staff gossip and childhood reminiscing. It didn't matter how many times the two girls took a trip down memory lane—it was hilarious and heart-warming every single time.

"Naruto really _is_ different now, isn't he?" Ino chuckled.

"We dissed him so much back then—I kind of feel bad."

"I think your countless life-and-death experiences together kind of make up for that,"

"Do you ever feel like that with Shikamaru and Choji?"

Ino paused. "I don't think so, actually."

"Why not?" Sakura turned her head, curious now.

"I mean, even our _dads_ were teammates, you know? It was like that right from the start—we already knew. So, twelve years later it isn't exactly a super-big surprise that we've reached this point."

"Fair enough." Sakura smiled, idly. "Twelve years ago, we were too deep up each other's assess to have a sleepover."

Ino laughed. "God, we were idiots for fighting."

"You still are, pig."

"Oh, don't _start._ "

"Too late— _ouch._ " Sakura winced.

"You okay?" Ino lazily looked over, noticing the strained expression on Sakura's face through the dim glow of her nightlight.

"Yeah… just a little," She was blushing so hard, she was red even with the lack of lighting. Sakura gestured downwards "Sore."

A witty joke was at the tip of Ino's tongue, but she held it down—Sakura had a fucking _bulge._ The silhouette was faint, but the stiffness was unmistakable. She almost completely forgot about it because of the conversation they were having, but suddenly Ino realized that Sakura hadn't been able to relieve herself. She knew from her medical studies that at this point, it was probably painful and straining against her clothing (which was made for women, no less).

Against her better judgement, the Yamanaka heir spoke up. "Sakura."

"Y—Yes?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Duh," Sakura was distractedly trying to find a comfortable enough way to lie down.

"Listen—do you trust me?" Ino held her gaze. There was a determined glint in her eye.

The medic stopped squirming. "Uhm. Yes, I do. What's going on?"

"It hurts, doesn't it?"

Sakura swallowed. "Yeah."

"Okay. Don't freak out, forehead?"

Sakura was _freaking out._ "Don't tell me you're going to—"

"Yes—"

"But then why would you—"

"You weren't able to do it on your own, right? Come on, it's a freak accident, you're never going to be able to sleep if you can't attend to it."

The sheer _professionalism_ in Ino's voice both impressed and bewildered Sakura. _This day is way too crazy for me._

"But how is it going to be different from when I tried to do it myself?"

"I don't know. It just might help that it's a different hand."

"I can't take this seriously."

"You and I both," Ino laughed dryly. "Now shut the fuck up. I'm trying to help you without making it super-awkward."

"If you manage to make this _not_ super-awkward, you deserve an award."

"Just shut up. Are okay with it?"

_Holy shit._ Sakura's mind had finally caught up to what was actually going to happen, and she felt her pants tighten just a little bit more. It really _was_ starting to hurt.

"O—Okay."

Sakura took a deep breath, shutting her eyes and keeping her expression as neutral as she could. After a moment of stillness, a tentative hand held her through the fabric of her sleeping shorts. Sakura didn't dare open her mouth. She was _sure_ that Ino heard the little gasp. The waistband of her shorts was awkwardly pulled down, and she hissed when her member snapped up to attention, suddenly exposed to crisp air. She kept her eyes closed. _I wonder how Ino's looking at me right now—disgust? Intrigue?_

All reasonable thought flew out when Ino wrapped her hand around Sakura.

"Oh, _shit._ "

"Sorry! Did I—"

"Just do it," Sakura commanded much to Ino's surprise.

They were suddenly hyper-aware of certain facts: that Sakura's room was dark and the little nightlight accentuated all the right details, that the blanket they shared was pushed halfway down to their waists, that Sakura's body-heat was sky-rocketing by the second, and that Ino's hair was lovely when it was let down and messy. Of the countless sleepovers they've had, this was definitely a first.

But back to the matter at hand—Ino needed to get something done for her friend. Slowly, she pumped up and down, surprised that every time she reached the head, a little bead of white would escape from the slit. When it dribbled down, it was slick and a little sticky, but the pre-cum seemed to be helping Sakura feel better. Perhaps it was the lubrication. She tightened her grip a little more and resumed her actions.

Sakura could _not believe it._ Ino was giving her a hand-job it felt _so fucking good._ It felt better than her measly attempt in the shower—it felt better because she'd been so stiff for so long and she did _nothing_ to alleviate it. Now every pump, every inch of skin that Ino put in contact with her member—it drove her further onwards. "Oh, _fuck,_ " she moaned, voice quivering. It was all the encouragement Ino needed and she carried on with more vigor, bring her thumb up to slide across the slit of the head every time it was near it. A little bit more of Sakura's pre-cum would ooze out, lubricating the shaft further. Ino noted, with mild amusement, that Sakura was thrusting her hips by now—and by the _gods_ , it might just be turning her on. She felt compelled to work harder. This was for Sakura's own good… _right?_ So, it was perfectly reasonable to lean forward into Sakura's personal space and bring her lips to ears to offer some 'encouragement'.

"Just relax," Ino whispered—she bit Sakura's earlobe. "That's good. You're doing great—get off for me?"

"Damn it, _Ino._ " Sakura panted, eyes closed and writhing—it was so good that she wanted to _kiss_ her. She held onto fistfuls of her bedcovers and Ino was afraid that she might _break_ something. The blonde began to stroke faster; Sakura tensed all over, her hips jerking irregularly while her neck and ears flared up the deepest of shade of red.

"You're going to make me cu—"

Something _snapped_. Suddenly, Sakura was moaning in a way Ino never thought she'd be the cause of. _Ever_. Not in this life, at least. White liquid flowed out in spurts, hot and sticky and _dirty_ on her hand and Sakura's abdomen. Ino gently squeezed, as if to coax the rest of the liquid out of Sakura's cock while the other woman continued to jerk and groan— _holy fucking shit. Did that just happen?_

Sakura looked completely enraptured by the pleasure. "Shit," she mumbled, her eyes far away and her chest heaving. "Ohmygod—Ino. How are you so good at that? Nevermind—I don't want to know."

Ino shot her a look. "Excuse me, no. That's purely book-based knowledge."

"That's one hell of a book,"

"How do you feel?" Ino probed.

Sakura was still panting. "I—I kind of can't believe that just happened, but it was amazing."

When Ino helped Sakura clean up, she had been so casual about it that there was no time for awkwardness to brew. It was exactly as they talked about: she just needed to help Sakura out with her temporary problem. It happened once and that was that.

_That's right,_ Sakura thought to herself while she pulled the blanket over her previously-exposed body, _it was a simple act of lending a hand—nothing else to it._ She was still trying to come to terms with how pleasurable the experience was, and she was hoping that Tsunade would work fast. She could see why doing this was addictive behavior; there was no other way to describe it but as obscenely _good._

"Ino-pig," she called out into the darkness of her room.

"Mm?"

"Thanks… I guess?"

There was a chuckle. "Uhm. You're welcome?"


	2. Talk About It Tomorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, Ino needs help too.

"Naruto, I'm going to skin you alive!"

Sakura spoke through gritted teeth, sweat beading down her neck and forehead. She was lying on her side on the dirt of their old training grounds, curled up in a fetal-position. She wasn't entirely sure which adjective best described the kind of pain she was in at the moment. It was ridiculous.

Naruto looked infuriatingly serious, "I told you to get a crotch guard, Sakura-chan."

Aside from the sharp pain down south, her stomach had doubled in on itself, throbbing in a dull pain—it was like an instant stomach ache. She was feeling waves of nausea, and the pain traveled in little pulses from her balls—she was still having trouble accepting that she had those—up to her abdomen. Was this really what men felt when they got kicked in the nuts? Holy shit, she was never doing that again unless they really deserved it. But did Naruto really have to go at it that hard during a practice spar? That was just low.

"You didn't have to kick me there, baka!"

"But if you had listened to me, this wouldn't have happened." He shook his head.

Sai was scribbling something suspicious on one of his scrolls, and as soon as he was done the ink had turned into a bird which flew towards the direction of the village center. "Neither of us have gotten punched, Naruto-kun. It seems we've finally found a counter-measure for Sakura-chan's rage."

Sakura was in too much discomfort to give Sai any crap for that one; she had no choice but to wait out the pain for a few minutes and try to control her breathing. After an extended moment of recovery, the medic eventually regained some semblance of control over her body and pushed herself upwards. To his credit, Naruto leaned over and held out his hand with a grin. Clasping his hand, she smiled and let him pull her up—fine, maybe she'll forgive him this time. "Okay. I take your word for it—that was terrible. I think I need a break."

Naruto managed to make a goofy grin look sympathetic. "It's nice to know that you'll think twice before kicking any of us in the nuts again."

"I could have lived without the knowledge," she muttered back, finally steady on her own two feet.

"Safe to say training's over. Ichiraku's?" The Kyuubi jinchuriki threw his hands behind his head, already glazing over the thought of a good bowl of ramen.

Sai didn't protest, and Sakura followed her teammates' lead while she dusted off the dirt from her uniform. The walk to Ichiraku's was as eventful as it always was with Team 7, but Sakura took her time. The village was visibly healing and it warmed her heart and soul. There were children again. Children whose parents were carefree while they tended to their market stalls and fruit shops, full of hope and security. The price they paid to end the war was heavy, but seeing what Konohagakure had become was worth it over and over—she'd fight again and again to keep it. Her eyes settled on a familiar building. It was beautifully built, with wide windows that had all kinds of plant-life growing on their sills. Well-trimmed vines crawled along its walls, and orchids were hanging at its periphery. Through the glass panes of the windows, she could make out a multitude of lively colors and a lot of green. Yamanaka Flower Shop.

She was suddenly aware of the fact that her cheeks were warm and she was probably blushing a little. Was Ino taking over today? It was a Sunday so they had no hospital duty and she'd be helping her mother. Ino. Oh, goodness. The last time they were with each other she—she gave her a—

Her introspection was abruptly cut when she smelled the aroma of freshly-cooked ramen.

"The loyal Team Seven is back again!" Ayame-san grinned. "No Iruka or Yamato-san?"

"Good afternoon, Ayame-san." Sakura nodded politely while Naruto grinned and waved with both his arms. "Yamato-taichou is away on business with Kakashi-se—I meant, Hokage-sama."

"I think sensei likes it better when we don't call him that," Naruto chuckled. "And Iruka-sensei has been busy; a lot of new kids are signing up at the academy and he's mentoring Shino as an instructor."

"Shino-san will make a good teacher," Sai nodded. "His insects are the perfect instrument to intimidate the kids into participation and monitor for cheating."

"I uh… don't think that's what he's going for, Sai." Ayame sweat-dropped.

"One extra-large, extra-special beef miso!" Naruto slapped a voucher on the counter.

"I'll have the same." Sai handed over an identical piece of paper.

"Ichiraku Ramen vouchers? Where'd you get those?" Sakura looked over the paper curiously.

"A friend owed us a favor one time," the blonde boy shrugged it off and Sakura asked no more.

"Sakura-san! What a coincidence that our youthful souls should meet on this day!" An overly enthusiastic voice resonated from behind, and for once, Sakura was in a good enough mood not to instantly feel exhausted.

"Lee-kun," she waved back. "—and Tenten."

"I see someone's owning up to her Jonin promotion," the weapons-master teased while gesturing at Sakura's uniform.

"I—Uh, had to forego my previous outfits for this one because of, um… special assignments." She could feel her ears turning red. The entire village doesn't need to know about… that.

There was a glint in Lee's eyes, and he was already whipping out a set of green spandex overalls. Naruto nearly choked on his food.

"Sakura-san! Might I suggest this fine piece of apparel? It will surely compliment your energetic figure and its flexibility will amplify the power of your youth!"

The pink-haired kunoichi went completely pale. And my possible boners. The fucking spandex will amplify the power of my goddamn boners.

Sai was about to open his mouth, but the medic's knuckles had immediately connected with his jaw the moment she saw it coming.

Shizune watched as a little ink-bird fluttered in the room and dove into an open scroll before drying up as a legible message. She nodded to herself, already copying the message onto her notebook.

"Visibly excruciating pain, yes, okay good. Stomach and abdomen pain, nausea, flushing of the skin, immobilization—Tsunade-sama, it seems the development of the organ isn't just an outgrowth of flesh. The Vagus nerve had connected with it from the brain and she's exhibited all symptoms that a male would."

Tsunade chuckled. "That's valuable information. You've gotta love Naruto and Sai—who else is brave enough to kick Haruno Sakura in the balls just for a few vouchers of ramen?"

Sakura couldn't get the image of the flower shop out her mind ever since seeing it earlier during noontime. It no longer came as a surprise that after finishing all her errands for the day, she found herself helping Ino close up shop.

It was an utter relief when she felt no awkwardness.

"And these go where?"

"Just put them beside each other on the far end of the counter, thanks." Ino yelled over her shoulder, arranging the last of potted daisies against the wall. She straightened up, cleaning her hands on a towel before giving the shop one last look-over and deciding it was safe to lock up.

"We good?"

"Yup. Not that I don't appreciate your help, but what's up? Miss me already?" Ino smirked.

"Bored out of my mind, don't get cocky," the medic replied with an obligatory eye-roll.

"Yeah, sure. Well, anyway, want to come over for dinner? Shika and Choji totally ditched out on me."

Sakura almost forgot to reply. She was too busy noticing that when Ino's skirt was loose, the hem would sink low enough to show her hip bones. Her stomach was flawlessly toned, flat and smooth and—damn it, did she always have to wear a crop top all the time? She tore her eyes away, already worried that the problem between her legs was quick on the uptake.

She immediately felt an acute pang of guilt. She was totally checking Ino out and her pants were… ah, shit. They were definitely a little tighter. Sakura could still remember the way Ino's hand felt around her and—no, I shouldn't be thinking of this right now.

"Forehead, I swear, you need to stop spacing out on me."

"I—Yeah." This was a bad idea. "Dinner sounds like a good "

Ino felt for Sakura. She really did. If she suddenly grew a prick out of nowhere, she wouldn't know where to even begin. But somehow, the medical genius seemed to manage just fine. Ino admired that about her, but she wasn't about to say it out loud—nope. Still, she felt a surge of sympathy whenever Sakura suddenly flushed red or had to sit with her legs spread a little wider than she was used to. It was this sympathy that pushed her to assist with Sakura's concern that one time when she slept over, and now she was wondering if that was such a good idea. It's not that she felt it was awkward or wrong—on the contrary, she felt relieved she was able to help. But then she wanted to help again. And again. And again. Ino had a feeling it was trouble.

Thankfully, dinner went by the way it always did for them: a mixture of insults and arguments with just the right amount of affection sandwiched between the lines. She enjoyed this, enjoyed being with Sakura because it was liberating in a way different from when she was with Shikamaru or Choji.

"Thanks for having me over," Sakura smiled. "I guess I kind of needed it."

Ino rolled her eyes in jest. "Whatever would you do without me?"

"I don't know—celebrate?"

"Oh, be like that. Find someone else who has the patience to tell you which nail color goes with your hair and not."

"You love me." Sakura grinned, standing up to help Ino with the dishes. "Oh, crap."

"Hm?" Ino followed Sakura's gaze out her window.

"It's raining cats and dogs."

True enough, the little drizzle that started when they arrived at Ino's apartment had grown into a full-blown downpour. An umbrella would have been cute, but utterly useless.

"You could just stay over." Ino said casually while she gathered the remainder of their utensils.

"I wouldn't want to impose—"

"Come on," Ino huffed. "Don't give me that crap—you've practically lived here at some point."

"It's just I have a little problem and—"

"I've got a lot of spare sleepwear, forehead. You'll just get sick if you go out there."

"Ino." Sakura hissed, blushing red while gesturing downwards to her crotch.

The blonde kunoichi blinked. "What about it?"

Sakura looked away, still flustered. "It's just… I don't want you to feel weird about me staying when—"

"Are you going to get all rape-y on me?"

"No!"

"Then we're good." Ino almost looked annoyed. "Seriously, calm down and get changed already."

Sakura looked like she had a little more to say, but clamped her mouth shut and begrudgingly went ahead to Ino's room to get changed.

Moments later, she was done with the dishes and washing up. She changed in her bathroom, nervously leaning over the sink and splashing water on her face to cool it—she was burning up. Ino's brain was about to explode. Okay, that was good. Just be casual. Never make her feel awkward about it—damn it, Yamanaka! All was going well over dinner, but when Sakura had become flustered and reminded her that, yes, she had an extra package there as of now, Ino was suddenly assaulted by the mental image of Sakura writhing, panting, and having an orgasm like no other. All the alarm bells were ringing because she didn't want to get hot over the memory of giving her best friend a hand job but, goddamnit, how was she supposed to forget? The act itself wasn't really what got her going—it was Sakura's reactions. She kept remembering her flushed, red face, her heaving chest, the way she would groan and bite her lip and say her name and—yeah. I fucked up.

Ino tried not to hope that Sakura might need help again tonight.

"You okay?" Sakura was wearing Ino's pajamas, and they would likely be snuggling up together like they always did. It was the norm—there was nothing to worry about. Stop freaking out!

"Long day," Ino said tiredly. "Scoot, Forehead. You're taking way too much space."

The medic snickered, rolling her eyes. "Won't be needing as much as space as you will, Ino-pig."

A sharp jab to Sakura's side seemed to be the appropriate response, but Sakura brushed it off with a giggle while she moved away to let Ino slip under the covers.

"I'm guessing I'll be the big-spoon this time?" Ino joked.

"Unless you want something incredibly awkward to come up from behind—quite literally—then yes."

"Lighten up," the blonde kunoichi giggled to hide her nerves. She put her arms around Sakura's petite waist, used to the physical contact over the years. This was normal. She needed to stop freaking the fuck out.

Sakura's body temperature was definitely not normal—neither was the stiffness of her shoulders or breathing pattern.

"You okay?" Ino inched forward near Sakura's ear, inhaling a familiar smell. Ah. Her hair—it smelled stronger up-close. She remembered when she last had a whiff of it—blood came rushing up to her face and… well, down. It flashed in her memory vividly, and she nervously realized that the last time she was this near Sakura was when she was giving her a hand job and telling her to cum. The blonde swallowed.

"Y—Yes." Sakura said in a small, unsure voice. Ino didn't know whether to prod her on or not. Maybe it would be a better to just scoot away and—

"Ino?"

A pause. "Yes, forehead?"

"I think I…" Sakura's voice was barely over a whisper. The darkness of the room suddenly seemed so inviting, and somehow the blonde knew what her best friend was talking about.

"Again?" Ino whispered back, feeling her stomach flutter and her heart race.

"Yeah," the medic-nin sounded a little ashamed. "I mean if… you don't mind—It's just it's never worked quite as well as when you did it, and—"

"Look at me," Ino said firmly.

With a little hesitation, Sakura turned over. It was silent apart from the rustling of sheets and sleepwear, and suddenly the two were practically nose-to-nose.

"P—Please?" Sakura clamped her eyes shut, biting her lip as their foreheads touched. Was she really asking this of Ino again? She wasn't sure if she even wanted to know what Ino was thinking of her right now.

"Just relax," the blonde cooed—her hand was already travelling downwards. Sakura was hard. She could feel her pressing up against her thigh.

"This is okay?" Sakura questioned, eyes still shut.

"Yes—now shut up, forehead. I'm trying to do you a favor." Ino said with a little laugh.

Sakura didn't have time to appreciate the banter because there was a hand tentatively travelling down her pants. "Shit."

"Is this a good 'shit' or a bad 'shit'?" Ino paused.

The pink-haired medic couldn't help but flush in embarrassment, "it's the good kind."

"Great to hear," Ino winked. Why did she have to wink? Good lord, Sakura felt that she might be done in just a minute.

Ino's hand delicately wrapped around Sakura's sore and throbbing member. Sakura didn't melt on the spot like she did the first time, it seemed she had better control over her body now. But still, her head fell back and her hips had begun quivering, and the labored breathing came with suppressed moans.

"Stop trying to holdback," Ino coaxed, squeezing down a little.

"Oh, fuck."

"Better." The Yamanaka heir had trouble admitting to herself that this was getting her going—Sakura writhing, and visibly in pleasure was turning her on.

Goddamnit.

She was starting to feel hot down south. But never mind her own needs, she was doing this for Sakura. So, she carried on with her task, industriously replicating what she had done the first time. She squeezed upwards, trying to get some of Sakura's pre-cum as lubrication to minimize friction. The white liquid readily flowed out, but Ino did her best to go a little slowly. She was going to let Sakura enjoy this.

"Do you like it?" Ino dared to ask, running her thumb along the head of medic's cock. She enjoyed the little gasp her partner gave.

"You're dragging this out for me, aren't you?" Sakura replied through heavy breathing.

"Yup. Do you want me to get you off quickly?"

"I would be lying if I said that I'm not enjoying this."

Ino caught herself by surprise. "Then enjoy it."

The blonde tugged on the garter of Sakura's shorts, pulling it downwards so that she had better access to the medic's appendage. She was mildly surprised by Sakura's size—the last time they did this, she tried not to stare out of respect. But somehow it was a little more intimate this time; less 'professional help' and more… sensual. Sakura was thrusting again, and Ino could feel the other woman's hand on her waist. She licked her lips and continued—the view was giving her bad ideas. She looked back upwards—to Sakura.

She was a hot, hot mess.

"God. This is so good, I feel almost obligated to return the favor." Sakura chuckled, her voice strained by pleasure and embarrassment.

Ino couldn't help but tease, "doesn't sound like a bad idea."

She heard Sakura scoff, but the medic-nin suddenly buried her face into Ino's shoulders. "Careful," she felt Sakura whisper against her skin. Ino felt a jolt of arousal at the warning. Is this getting to Sakura the same way it's getting to me?

"Be careful of?" Ino stopped stroking. Sakura hips didn't stop bucking.

"What you say when I'm—like… this."

"Because?" She began to move her hand again, tantalizingly slow. Sakura's cock was hard and slick at this point—there was no longer a problem with friction.

"Ino."

Ino felt a hand on her thigh. It was creeping upwards; hesitant, but moving nonetheless.

"When you're making me feel this way," the medic said through gritted teeth, "it makes me want to—to do things… too."

"Like?" Ino felt the bothersome heat between her legs grow. She was definitely getting turned on.

Sakura didn't feel like being articulate, and settled for moving a significant distance up her thigh. Moving of her own volition, her lips gently settled on the skin of Ino's neck.

That moment was the first-time Sakura heard her moan. And so, she continued. She kissed at the soft-skin, breathing out against Ino's neck when the blonde threw her head back in appreciation. For the moment, Ino forgot to continue the work Sakura's member but the medic somehow didn't mind—it felt like the right moment to give back. So she did. She kissed Ino's neck fully, daring to put a hand to Ino's waist, pulling her flush against her body. Ino felt Sakura's cock graze against her crotch.

"S—Sakura."

Damn. Sakura was a little surprised by how much she liked to hear that. "Mm?"

Ino opened her eyes to seen green. Dark, dilated, and feral green. Sakura seemed to be completely overwhelmed by the moment and her urges. "Are you okay with this?"

"Do you want me to stop?"

"No."Ino said faster than she could think. Definitely no. This is a bad idea—but no. But the feeling of Sakura's hand creeping upward was stronger than her hesitations, and when two fingers slipped into the waistband of her panties, Ino decided she might as well enjoy this.

"Just tell me if you need me to stop." Sakura said between kisses she peppered along Ino's neck.

"Maybe I need some help, too." Ino bit her lip—her panties were being pulled down.

Sakura retreated from Ino's neck settled back against the blonde's forehead. Already heaving, Sakura nodded almost desperately. "Please?"

Ino didn't need to be told twice—she wrapped a hand around Sakura's dick, pumping the lubricated shaft as fast as she could. This proved to be a little more difficult when she felt two, slender digits massage at the folds between her legs.

"Fuck, Sakura."

"Yeah? Do I sto—"

"No! Goodness, go on." Ino bit her lip, feeling Sakura work at her clit. She almost snickered—the medic was cheating. She could swear there was chakra at her finger tips to make them feel cold. And it was so, fucking good. Who knew fooling around with your best friend would be so rewarding?

When Sakura thrust her two fingers all the way in, there was no room for reasonable thought left.

"Oh shit, yes—"

"Yeah?" Sakura curled her fingers to find Ino's g-spot. The blonde's hands flew around Sakura's neck, her hips suddenly jerking forward. She could feel the wetness spilling out to Sakura's hand. It's been so long since she had a good orgasm… everything felt good right now.

"Right there oh god… Sakura."

Taking a page from Ino's book, Sakura licked at her ears. "Ino… feel good for me?" She continued to thrust harder, bringing her thumb to rub against Ino's clit as her two fingers continued to move as fast as they could go.

"Sakura I'm—I'm gonna cum."

"Let me see?"

Ino felt something snap. Her eyes clamed shut, and she moaned a moan so obscenely good that it might have been enough to drive Sakura over the edge. Ino writhed against Sakura's body, her orgasm taking her in waves. Sakura watched through half-lidded eyes. She couldn't look away.

She kept watching and felt her member twitch. It was slick and hard, and she couldn't help it. She wrapped her hand around her cock and jacked off to Ino quivering with the remnants of her orgasm.

"Fuck," Sakura hissed. Her abdomen tightened—she saw Ino lick her lips—and in a few more jerks white fluid began to sputter out. She groaned, breathing heavy while she instinctively squeezed every drop of her cum out.

She didn't know doing it herself could feel so… satisfying.

After a moment of respite, Ino finally regained some semblance of energy. "So… was that good enough for you?"

"Holy shit." Sakura collapsed into the mattress. "Did we really just—"

"Yup."

"Do you want to talk about it?" The medic was already starting to feel panic replace the sexual euphoria that was ebbing away.

"Not now, no."

There was a silence between them—as if the gravity of the line they just crossed came crashing down. Sakura sighed, but had a small, wistful smile. She almost laughed. "Do you want to fall asleep cuddling for now?"

There was no response for a good few seconds, and she could already feel her heart sink. But, suddenly, a pale arm draped itself over her torso, and a whole lot of blonde snuggled into the crook of her neck.

"That sounds like a good idea."

Sakura hummed in response, wrapping an arm around Ino's shoulder. They could deal with the implications tomorrow.


	3. A Little Clarification

Sakura's hands could feel the warmth before her eyes even fluttered open. It was probably the crack of dawn—there wasn't much light—but she could tell that she was in a soft, familiar bed; although this one wasn't familiar enough to be her own. Her eyelids were heavy, and the rest of the view was bleary, but she could make out what seemed to be an expanse of smooth gold.

"Go back to bed," she heard a comforting voice say. There was a soft kiss to her temple.

Back to sleep.

Yeah…that sounds like a good idea.

Sakura was jolted awake by her alarm—or rather, her lack thereof. The room was too bright for it be early morning, the sheets were lavender instead of red, and she was pretty sure she didn't keep an assortment of exotic blooms along her window sill. She identified her location to be Ino's room—but lacking Ino herself.

Ino—oh shit, Ino. Right, of course, how could she forget? Her underwear was pulled an awkward distance down, and her shirt was halfway up. The familiar bed suddenly felt too intimate to be lying in, and her disheveled clothing only made her feel guiltier. Green eyes scanned the pastel-purple room, picking out hints of grey and green clothing neatly folded in the corner. Sakura slipped out from under the covers to get herself changed, careful not to make a mess and neatly setting the clothes Ino lent her into the hamper. She travelled barefoot to Ino's living area—still no sign of her.

She contemplated on pushing the blonde's hospitality and making herself a cup of coffee but—shit. What time was it?! A quick glance at a wall clock read 10:13; she had a meeting with Tsunade more than half an hour ago. As much as she would have loved to have a mental breakdown on whether or not what happened between Ino and herself was a huge mistake, she didn't have time. She slipped into her sandals (dismayed that she's stuck with yesterday's clothes) and left Ino's apartment in a hurry after having secured the door's lock.

She stuck to the rooftops (god forbid the entire village see her running late) to save time. The Hokage tower was easily visible, and soon she could see the window of the little room kept vacant for whenever Tsunade was in town.

"You're late!" her shishou bellowed the moment Sakura landed through the window.

"Sorry, shishou. Slept over at Ino's, totally forgot I had no alarm clock—"

"No excuses! Take your pants off." The Godaime Hokage ordered, already picking up a clipboard with Sakura's file and motioning for Shizune to get the examination apparatus.

"W—What?!"

"I said, take your pants off!" A vein popped in Tsunade's forehead, obviously agitated. "I swear, is Kakashi rubbing off on you? Forty-five minutes late to an appointment—are you a genin all over again?"

Sakura winced. Tsunade did have a point. Not wanting to be told thrice, Sakura began unbuckling her tactical belt, feeling her gray uniform pants slide down. She missed her old attire—vibrant red and cool. The flak jacket and oppressive layers of the Jonin uniform was frustratingly warm; but she could manage if it would spare her a lot of awkward explanations.

Having been exposed from the waist downwards, Sakura felt herself blush. For the first time since the appearance of her extra appendage, she felt vulnerable. Her ears turned a little red, and she had to look away in discomfort while Shizune and Tsunade scrutinized and took down notes on the little guy down below.

"Well. Somehow it feels a lot more awkward the second time around," Sakura groaned.

"I was just about to call you out on that," Shizune muttered. "We're all medical professionals—you know how it goes."

"Yeah. It's just… I don't know." After the encounters Sakura shared with Ino, she realized having other people look at her this way was a little bit invasive.

"You said you slept over Ino's?" Tsunade inquired. The anger seems to have ebbed away, and she looked as though she was torn between amusement and concern.

"Uhm. Yes?"

"Sakura. The pipes are clean. You're flaccid." The former Hokage crossed her arms, staring down at her as if she owed her some explanation.

"What do you—oh."

Cue in furious blush.

Tsunade set a piercing gaze on Sakura. It wasn't oppressive or demanding, it was more of analytical. It was the same face she would make when she had to decide which treatment would save a dying patient. The blonde woman huffed. "The organ's vitals are the same. No signs of growth—sorry to break it to you, it isn't getting any bigger—"

"Shishou!"

"—but no sense of shrinkage either. We hoped the phenomenon might subside on its own over time, but it seems it's here to stay unless we really do something about it."

Sakura groaned exasperatedly, pulling her pants back up. "Great."

"It could be worse," Shizune smiled apologetically.

"Sakura." Tsunade had gotten up and was striding towards her desk with purpose. She motioned for the younger medic to follow. "Sit."

Sakura complied and couldn't help but feel like a teenager on the receiving end of a nasty scolding. She didn't know what she did—yet—but she had a feeling she wasn't going to like it. Tsunade looked a little uncomfortable.

To Sakura, a raging, monstrously angry Tsunade is better than an uncomfortable one.

There was an extended moment of silence and Shizune had returned to her own desk, no doubt compiling and updating the data on Sakura's case. Tsunade was resting her head on her elbow, eyebrows knit in concentration. Her gaze would fall on to Sakura—uncertainty with a dash of concern—and then fall back down the myriad of textbooks opened on her desk. The pink-haired kunoichi wondered if she should expect some kind of heart-wrenching revelation; a terminal complication as a result of the change in her reproductive system, perhaps? An incapacitating re-arrangement of her chakra network?

She saw Tsunade chew on her lip—no, definitely none of those. Tsunade-shishou never minces words or covers up complications with her patients. Especially not me.

"I can't believe I'm going to give you this talk," the former Hokage sighed in exasperation.

"What?"

"Sakura." Tsunade shook her head in another gesture of am-I-seriously-doing this? "I'm sure I've run you through the fundamentals of estrogen and testosterone over and over again."

"Yes, shishou."

"And I'm sure you know, at this moment, that in your case there's less estrogen and more testosterone."

"I do not like where this is going," Sakura face-palmed.

"Would you rather Kakashi do it?"

"Oh god, no—"

"Then shut up and listen," Tsunade barked, crossing her arms again, "because you need to be careful."

Sakura sighed, resigned.

Tsunade continued, "You might end up doing things you don't want to. You think that's what you really want, but it isn't. What happens when this is all over, and everything comes back to normal and so does your body?"

"I'm not going to do anything that—"

"Did something happen with you and Ino last night?"

The bluntness of the inquiry caught her completely off-guard. Like a fish pulled out of the sea, she sputtered and flushed red, attempting to cough out a 'no' but unable to lie straight to her mentor's face.

"That's a yes."

Sakura could only nod.

"It's not my business to tell you who you want to see or not," Tsunade said in a clipped voice, "but I know Ino means a lot to you—too much, in fact, for her to be on the receiving end of whatever mess you've gotten yourself into."

Sakura bit her lip and looked down. She knew exactly what Tsunade was talking about.

"Just a word of advice." Tsunade scowled, putting on a stern façade that Sakura could somehow see through. "It's up to you."

Sakura wanted to feel upset, she really did, but instead she feels touched. "Thank you, shishou."

"Did I sound even remotely motherly?"

"Not at all—"

"—good," her mentor crossed her arms, already switching the topic to Konoha's current healthcare concerns as fast as she can.

Sakura smiled and let her.

After all, this is how Tsunade shows that she cares.

The next time Ino saw her favorite shade of pink, it was lunch time. "Sakura?"

It took everything in her power for her not to wince; she doesn't remember the last time her voice sounded so small. But still, she didn't recoil or look away. Yamanaka Ino did no such thing.

They're in the cafeteria of the Hospital, so she shouldn't have been surprised. Sakura was here often enough to be a regular but sporadically enough that Ino was caught off-guard.

"Hey," the pink-haired medic managed a weak smile. There's tension—of course—but neither of them seemed particularly displeased to run into the other. "Thanks for having me over," Sakura said with practiced casualness, "I made sure to tick the lock before I left."

"I know. I came back at around eleven to check up on you. Sorry I had to leave—"

"It's fine."

"—I got called in early for an interrogation and didn't want to wake you."

"Ah, I see." Sakura's features lightened up in understanding. Perhaps explaining was the right thing to do; Ino didn't want to leave the impression she snuck away the morning after.

The morning after, she thought to herself sorely. What a mess.

They found a table to share (the entire village would know something's up if they sat separately) and stayed quiet under the pretense of being too hungry to talk. Ino could see Sakura eyeing her tray of fruits and green-leafy vegetables, no doubt tabulating how much protein she was lacking over lunch and preparing a lecture on why carbohydrates were not enemies.

"So…" Sakura mumbles. "What's up?"

Ino couldn't help but sigh in exasperation. "Really, Forehead? That's your idea of breaking the kind-of-awkward ice?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "It was worth a shot."

"Gotta try harder," Ino raised an immaculate eyebrow.

"Looks to me like it's working, Ino-pig." The medic jabs at Ino's arm with her chopsticks.

Ino groans. "Ugh. This is pathetic—we're better than this. Let's cut the bullshit and acknowledge that we fooled around last night and neither of us have any idea what to say next."

Sakura nearly choked on her drink, but soon enough recovered with a small chuckle. "That was so much easier than I thought it was going to be."

"We're adults now, Sakura. It happens."

"It's not supposed to though," Sakura scrunches her nose. The idea that it's adorable passed Ino's mind as an afterthought, but there were more pressing matters at the moment. "I'm sorry if things got out of hand. I shouldn't have put you through that."

"You didn't seem very sorry." The blonde smirked.

"Ino!" Sakura scolded. "This isn't a joke. This—this stupid thing just happened to me and I don't want you to be on the receiving end of my idiotic hormonal imbalance and—"

Oh hell no.

"Sakura." Ino's voice was surprisingly firm; her tray of fruit and greens forgotten. "I'm going to give you an earful, so shut up for the next five minutes.

Sakura looked taken aback. Good, Ino thought to herself. Listen.

"You have a brain of your own up there—not down here. You think with that and not your newfound dick. If you do something stupid, own up to it instead of making excuses. If you think last night was a mistake and want to apologize for it, then do that instead of imply that I just happened to be the first girl to—" Ino does air-quotation marks for emphasis,"—'lend you a hand'."

"That's not what I was trying to say!"

"It sounded like it," Ino challenged.

"That's exactly what I don't want you to think!"

"I know that," the blonde kunoichi rolled her eyes. "but if you're going to talk about it like that, what else am I going to think?"

"I didn't mean for last night to go that way," Sakura said through gritted teeth. "But it did, and I'm sorry, and I'm freaking out about this because you mean so much more to me than just some—some source of physical relief!"

Ino's eyes softened; she paused to take a breath. Sakura looked genuinely sorry, and also very frantic. "I… I guess I'm sorry for snapping," she grumbled out, looking away. This was probably much harder on Sakura than she was letting on. "I really wanted to help, you know. It… it felt special that you trusted me with something like that."

"I trust you. I really do. But I… enjoyed that way too much." Sakura said quietly. "I'm kind of afraid that it'll change things."

"Sakura." Ino looked at her in all seriousness. "It's okay. I understand that people can't help my allure and irresistible charm."

The awkward pause turned into two girls bursting out laughing—and at that moment Sakura knew they were going to be okay.

Things were not going okay.

At least not for Ino.

She was in Sakura's office, sitting at the patient's chair with a scroll on 'Dissolvable and Undissolvable Sutures' spread wide open on her lap. They had examinations—ugh—and were reviewing (cramming) in silence. Tsunade was a rigorous tutor: she didn't care if you were already a legendary Jonin. Medical staff at the hospital needed to take exams twice a year. Even Ino and Sakura. Especially Ino and Sakura.

'What do we do when blades aren't sharpened?' The blonde can practically hear the Godaime Hokage barking in her head. 'Throw them away!'

She couldn't count the number of examinations she's had to take to become a resident at the hospital only to be reassured with more on the way. But professional development aside, the conundrum that was Sakura was driving her insane. The examinations had given the medic-nin something else to think about for the past two days, and Ino suspected that the stress and constant studying did a good job of keeping Sakura's new… friend down.

As promised, the were no sleep-overs or generous offers of 'help' ever since their lunchtime conversation.

So why the hell couldn't she stop thinking about Sakura?

"Polyglycolic acid suture?" Sakura suddenly broke the silence, throwing Ino a challenging look.

"Dissolvable."

"Catgut Suture?"

"Dissolvable. Again."

"A braided suture is called—"

"—a multifilament suture." Ino smirked, feeling a little a good about herself for acing Sakura's pop-quiz.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Someone's been hitting the books."

"Please don't make any 'dumb blonde' jokes. I will maim you."

Sakura laughed, rolling up her own scroll before haphazardly throwing it onto her desk. "I give up—this is so impractical. I've sewn up enough cuts with regular thread to know it does the job."

"Surely I wouldn't have to tell you how many infections that could cause," Ino taunted.

"Shut up," Sakura threw her a pencil eraser which simple flew past her head. "You know it's true."

"Firstly, you have terrible aim. Second," Ino leaned forward, holding two fingers infront of Sakura's face. "I'm starving."

"Then let's get food," the other woman simply said, swatting away Ino's hand before taking it in her own as she stood.

It really shouldn't matter, Ino thought to herself. She's held Sakura in more indecent places, and holding hands has been a norm for them since… ever.

But Sakura casually intertwined their fingers while she babbled on about lunch, and Ino was realizing that things were so not okay.

"Please no more deep-friend," the blonde feigned annoyance.

Sakura's lips pursed into a small frown and there was a short pause. "But I've been craving and—"

Whatever Sakura was going to say was lost to Ino, who was cursing herself for even thinking that Sakura looked pretty damn kissable at that moment.


	4. Walking Between Two Territories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things have gotten dangerously close to crossing lines.

'Uncomfortable' was an understatement.

Sakura sighed—frustrated, but not entirely surprised. She knew this was going to come up eventually. Shizune had supplied her with a test tube, an interesting video collection (with a note from Kakashi, 'with love'), and a small, dim room with a single cot and television set.

They were going to need a sample.

The whole ordeal was mitigated by Shizune's professionalism and genuine lack of judgment, but that didn't change the fact that she was seeing first-hand the hormonal effects of her predicament. The TV was on, casting a bluish light on her features while she watched, enraptured, as a young, naked woman straddled a man whose face couldn't be seen on screen. The volume was turned down low, but still loud enough that she could hear sounds that could only be described as… indecent.

She bit her lip, heaving. She'd been going at it for quite some time now. Her hand disappeared underneath haphazardly opened camo pants, moving up and down while the woman in the video moved in the same motion, equally as fast.

The couple on-screen seemed to have hit their climax, crying it out in an orgasm that was most probably faked, but was convincing enough for Sakura's breath to hitch, and for her hips to start quivering as she felt herself coming. She suppressed the moans coming from the back of her throat, low and reverberating. And then there was…. Blue. Blue, and blonde, and soft hands, and warm breath that tickled at her ear and…

Ino.

"Fuck," she sighed, taking a moment to even out her breathing. She could already feel a rush of shame and embarrassment. What would Ino say if she found out that Sakura had been thinking about her while getting off?

Sakura checked down south and was thankful to find a sufficient amount of the 'sample' had made it into the tube. She quickly slipped a rubber stopper into the mouth and wiped it clean—for Shizune's sake—before labeling it and setting it into an icebox. The research team likely needed a… live sample of sperm. She still had trouble wrapping her head around the idea that it was hers.

The medic was ready to wrap it up and leave only to pause and blush profusely.

How exactly did boys clean up after their messy trousers?

"The last time I've seen you studying medical texts this hard was—" Shizune stopped abruptly, realizing that 'when Asuma-san died' would have been an incredibly tactless thing to say, "—when you were first offered hospital residency."

Ino gave a small laugh, oblivious to Shizune's almost-blunder. She looked up to the older woman who was leaning against her office doorframe and grinned a mischievous grin. "Don't tell Sakura I'm working so hard to help her. It'll ruin my street cred."

Shizune rolled her eyes, walking over to Ino's office desk to have a quick look at books and scrolls scattered there. They ranged from forbidden medical jutsu, curses and seals, to accounts of how certain kinds of chakra can influence a body's physical properties; much like Naruto's sage-mode and his frog-like characteristics. "You do know that Godaime-sama and I have that covered."

"It wouldn't hurt to help." Ino quipped. "Besides, Sakura has been so bitchy lately it's driving me insane."

"Which roughly translates to: 'I care about her more than I will ever say out loud.'," Shizune teased, earning an impressive glare from the blonde.

Shizune sat down on the guest chair across Ino, watching fondly as the younger woman diligently compared notes and texts. "This is actually really uncharacteristic."

"I didn't become a medic-nin by not reading anything, you know."

"Can't argue with that. I just couldn't help but remember when we first tried teaching you how to heal minor head injuries and you nearly scrambled the poor boy's brain," the older woman giggled.

"Shizune-san, did you come over to reminisce? Because I have a sake stash in my cabinet and—"

"Hey! That's not allowed in hospital premises."

"—I am a hundred percent willing to take a break right about now." Ino's eyes were already glowing while she reached over to the hidden bottles.

Shizune paused, attempted to reprimand her one more time, and then just laughed. "I just came to check up on things."

Ino groaned. "I am way too old to be worrying about tests. Is it the tests?"

"No!" The older woman chuckled. "We don't even check yours and Sakura's, we know you'd pass anyway." Shizune looked at her younger friend thoughtfully. "I'm here to ask about Sakura."

That seemed to strike a nerve with Ino who, for once in Shizune's life, looked like she didn't know what to say. "We're… okay?"

"You're…?" The brunette raised an eyebrow. "I was just asking about her."

"Why don't you ask her?"

Shizune sighed, rubbing at the back of her neck while looking at Ino a little apologetically. "I'm not good at that sort of thing. I have a feeling this whole thing is probably getting to her a lot more than she's letting on."

Ino's expression grew soft. "I know what you mean. But you've got to admit, she's pretty good at dealing with it."

"That's our Sakura," Shizune shook her head, smiling. "We're running some lab tests and are hoping for good results. Half of me is tempted to just cut the whole thing off and have her mitotically regenerate."

Mitotic Regeneration.

"Wait a minute—" Ino's brows furrowed, her eyes darting downward to scan a half-opened scroll on her desk. "—you mentioned that the laboratory Sakura raided was cleaned up by ANBU and Konoha Research operatives afterwards."

"Yeah?"

"Did they go through the material? Were there any reports of other cases or specimen?"

Shizune sat upright, catching onto Ino's thought process. "No living specimen were found, but they did have records of previous trials. The exact formula of the contaminant still couldn't be found but littered notes suggested that it was some kind of agent used for hormonal change or it was an agent for DNA-rewriting."

"What if it was for a sex change?" Ino blurted out, blinking.

"If—what?"

"A sex change. I've been seeing medical journals that report people going through sexual re-assignment by taking hormones. Maybe they were just sex change hormones."

"I'm pretty sure concentrated testosterone isn't enough to grow a penis." Shizune crossed her arms, unconvinced.

"I'm pretty sure not everyone has a Strength of a Hundred seal and Mitotic Regeneration. We can't throw Sakura in with the rest of the folk. We already know that her body doesn't react to medicine the same way as everyone else; it might be true with synthesized hormones and serums."

"But what about other changes?" Shizune scratched her chin. "Lowering of her voice, growing facial hair—hey don't laugh!"

"Sorry!" Ino snickered. "That just gave 'peach fuzz' a whole new meaning for me."

Shizune brushed the comment off and continued. "Change of sexual drive and preference?"

At the last inquiry, Ino felt herself burn red. She hoped Shizune didn't notice. "Maybe the agent was synthesized to target reproductive organs?"

"That would be consistent with reports of Orochimaru trying to find a way to sire an heir."

Ino shuddered. "I don't think I'd like to see that come to fruition."

Shizune laughed. "I agree—but at the same time, it would be amazing if he succeeded."

"I just want this to end for her," Ino said in a tired voice. And for me.

Shizune put her hand on Ino's shoulder and paused in what looked like sympathy. "Let's have lunch. Crazy science can wait a few more hours."

"But the sake—"

"No. Lunch."

The rest of Sakura's day was eventful. After her 'session' with Shizune in the morning, she joined Sai and Naruto for taijutsu exercises through lunch and until the afternoon. Lately their team had been going back to the basics, re-learning the foundations of combat and tactics. Sai and Sakura were candidates for genin instructors, and Naruto was already being groomed to be Hokage. Sakura wasn't sure how she felt about the former, though. The thought of teaching and handling her own three-man team excited her, but her role as a senior medical officer of Konoha was much too heavy to do part-time

"Tenten's having a party," Naruto mumbled through all the ramen he had stuffed in his mouth.

"Again? How great it is for Tenten-san to have so much time," Sai said benignly.

"It's tonight at the bar beside the yakiniku!" Naruto slurped down the last drop of his miso soup. "The usual group."

"What's the occasion?" Sakura finally spoke, already thinking of a way to excuse herself from attending.

Naruto shrugged, grinning sheepishly. "I forgot, but Hinata-chan mentioned it to me this morning. She told me that Tenten told her to tell us to go. Ne, Sai—are you seriously reading a 'Party Etiquette' book?"

"This isn't even your first party," Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"I am simply reviewing my notes."

"Speaking of notes!" Naruto exclaimed, miso sputtering from his mouth. "Have you been reviewing yours Sakura?"

Sakura groaned, annoyed at the fact that Naruto and Sai had prepared notes for her—what's worse was that she actually needed them. She still remembers the headache she got when they told her about 'Operation: Jackhammer Care'.

"Yes, Naruto," She grumbled. "As mortifying as it is for me to admit that."

"What chapter are you in?" Sai asked. "Have you gone past 'Dealing With Wet Dreams and—"

"SHANNARO!"

"Sakura-chan…" At this point in their friendship, Naruto simply snickered at Sai's new black-eye. He turned towards Sakura, still unfazed. "But for real, how is it going?"

"The same as it's always been." Sakura sighed, annoyed. "Uncomfortable but manageable."

"Nothing… new going on?" Naruto prodded.

"Nothing, Naruto, I'm not going to spontaneously grow a beard."

"That isn't what I meant but now I can't get the image out of my—"

Naruto really thought he knew how to handle Sakura's punches by now. He had most certainly thought wrong that afternoon.

"I was just asking, 'ttebayo!"

"I swear, you two are going to drive me insane!"

Naruto successfully dodged a thrown chopstick, "but we're curious! Like… everything can't just be the same, you know! With the things you… like. Your preferences."

"While I'm mildly impressed you know what 'preference' means—"

"Hey!"

"—I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I think what Naruto-kun is trying to say," Sai had finally recovered and joined in on the conversation. "…is do you like girls now?"

Sakura flushed pink, snapping a fresh pair of chopsticks in half. "Y—YOU STUPID IDIOTS!"

It was their third round of drinks and they still didn't know why Tenten was throwing a party. At this point, though, no one was asking.

"But like… what about emotionally?" Kiba leaned forward, holding a dish of sake steady in his hand while he spoke with Sai. He was already a little bit drunk, flushing light pink on his cheeks and nose.

"What do you mean 'emotionally'?" Sai tilted his head in confusion.

"Like—Like how Kurenai-sensei was our second mom and stuff like that. I mean if you're going to handle a three-man team of genins, you'll need to have even a little bit of emotion—"

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata, mildly horrified at Kiba's interrogation, suddenly appeared with a tall glass of water for her teammate. "Drink this! S—Sorry about that, Sai-kun!"

Sai simply smiled. "It's no problem. I will read about exactly what 'emotion' it is Kiba-san is referring to."

Hinata rubbed at the back of her neck, smiling apologetically at Sai. He was a little weird, sure, but everyone thought so at the start and then came around. Hinata's budding relationship with Naruto meant that she suddenly spent a lot more time with Team Seven than before. She slowly became familiar with their dynamic, sometimes accurately predicting their behavior in familiar scenarios. Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato had become emotional anchors for Sai—they have inevitably become a part of who he was. Hinata was glad to see that happen right before her eyes.

She took a seat beside Kiba, half-heartedly listening to the two boys' new topic of conversation. Curiously, she looked around for Sakura. She isn't here yet… but it's already so late. She noticed that Sakura was behaving odd lately. It wasn't anything big. She still did her worked dutifully, speaking with the same confidence and purpose that their generation had grown accustomed to. She just seemed… off balance. Even more suspicious was that lately whenever Sai, Naruto, and Sakura were together they always seemed to be keeping a secret. Well, it's none of my business, Hinata decided. If Sakura was going through something, surely the boys and Ino would be more than enough support.

Ino? Hinata paused to look around the bar. Blonde hair was hard to miss, but Ino rarely ever missed these occasions. She was probably at another section of the bar, sharing quick drinks with acquaintances (she had a million of those) before returning to their group.

"I can't believe she actually bailed," a man suddenly said from behind her.

Hinata immediately recognized Shikamaru by the smell of his cigarette. "Ino-chan?" she replied, nearly yelling over the noise their party.

"Mm. I'm tempted to go find her." He shrugged, "but I can't be bothered."

Hinata chuckled. That was just like him.

"Looks like Sakura-chan can't make it either," Hinata pouted.

"Ah," Sai turned to look at Hinata, joining her conversation with Shikamaru. "She was given an urgent mission by Hokage-sama. I thought Ino-san would have told you guys ahead though. She asked me earlier this evening and I told her the same thing."

"…and then she just bolted," Shikamaru took a puff. "How troublesome. She's a grown woman, she'll be fine."

Sakura and Ino… tonight's going to be a handful without those two to help me keep everyone in line.

"Hinata-chan!" Tenten's scream for help was the first sign of the night ahead. "Naruto's drunk and wants to give Shino and Lee Kyuubi-chakra for their arm-wrestling contest!"

Hinata sighed, slightly amused. Here we go.

Ino stood at Sakura's doorway, arms crossed and looking very unimpressed. "I'm jealous. Since when did Rokudaime-sama classify reading a book with a nice cup of tea as an S-Class mission?"

"Ino, please, don't." Sakura groaned, wishing nothing more than to be left alone. "You should be enjoying yourself at the party."

"And so should you!" Ino put her hands on her waist. "I also can't believe you have enough pull to convince Hokage-sama to issue a fake mission order."

"He gets it," Sakura grumbled while she pulled her blanket up.

"Gets what exactly?"

"The situation, Ino." Sakura tried not to sound so distressed. "You do, too."

"I do, but seriously stop moping," Ino let herself in and made her way to Sakura's bed. She sat at the far end, checking her nails to feign indifference. "Get your mind off of it. Shizune and Godaime-sama are working their assess off and you know they always get their shit done."

Ino thought that Sakura might argue some more but Sakura just turned her eyes back to her book.

"I'm in the middle of a very interesting book."

"'Chakra, Anatomy, and Neural Manipulation'—I know that you've read this at least thrice before. Now, are you coming or are you going?"

Sakura's eyes nearly rolled back into her skull, "I'm staying in. What's so bad about that?"

"The fact that I know you don't really want to. Come on, Sakura, you're first runner up to Naruto when it comes to—" Ino raised her fingers to form air quotations, "friendship and camaraderie."

Sakura actually snickered, swatting Ino's hands away. "I'm starting to think you just came here to poke fun at me."

"Which isn't exactly wrong."

"Come on, Ino." Sakura jokingly threw her a pillow, "you aren't going to get me to leave. You're missing the party."

Ino raised an eyebrow, "I'm trying to figure out if you actually do want me to leave or if this is a friendship-test."

"What are we, twelve again?"

"This is kind of a second puberty for you—"

"Ino!"

"It's okay," Ino laughed, "I still have those Sex Ed for Children modules, maybe we can start with where babies come from."

"I am this close to kicking you out of my apartment. How did you even get in here!"

"You've told me that like a million times by now, idiot. You also gave me a key."

Realizing she no comebacks for that one, Sakura settled with throwing Ino her book.

"Really?" Ino caught offending object with ease. "I'm not going to get you to leave, am I?"

To her credit, Sakura looked genuinely regretful. "Not even you, sorry."

"Okay. Can I stay over?"

Sakura didn't know why she froze over. It should have been an easy 'yes', but somehow she couldn't say it out loud. Ino's expectant gaze was bearing down on her harder than the awkward silence in the air.

"…sure?"

"That wasn't very convincing and I am mildly offended," Ino raised an eyebrow.

"It's just… you know." Sakura hung down her head, frustrated at the sudden turn of events. There was a reason she didn't want to go to the party. She even asked Kakashi-sensei for a false excuse because she knew Ino wouldn't just let her mope at home for no reason.

Ironically, the 'reason' decided to pay her a visit instead. Sakura didn't want to avoid Ino; even up until now they were inseparable on regular work days. It just so happened that her situation and a party with alcohol didn't seem like the best combination.

"I don't. That's a very vague explanation," Ino said flatly, still looking at her expectantly.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura threw all her cares to the wind. "I don't think it's a good idea if I get inebriated around you."

She didn't expect Ino to laugh, but the blonde did.

"Inebriated? Really, Sakura?" Ino paused when she saw that Sakura wasn't laughing, and slowly scooted over closer. "Is it because of what happened to us that night?"

The medic nodded in silence.

"I thought… that we talked about it already." Ino began looking down at her nails again—a habit Sakura knew by now meant she was nervous or uncomfortable.

"I know. I'm just having a hard time processing it."

"Look, I'm sorry if I pushed it and—"

"That's not the issue." Sakura bit her lip. "I think it was a bit too good of an experience for me. I don't want to keep thinking of you that way, but I do and—"

"There you go again," Ino looked at her again and all her apprehension was gone. "You talk about what happened like it was a freak accident and that you didn't have a mind of your own."

"What are you talking about? Don't you get that I'm trying to do this for the sake of our friendship?" Sakura grew aggravated. "Ino, god, I'm sorry but sometimes when I'm around you I—I remember things. Things that all of a sudden I really want to do."

"Sakura—"

"Let me finish!" Sakura set her jaw. "I don't want to be around you when I'm drinking because I'm scared of how I'll act. I'm scared of what I might want to do to you."

Ino bit her lip. "You were thinking of me."

Sakura looked away. She leaned back and crossed her arms defensively. "There. That's the bottom line of why I'm staying in."

Ino carefully assessed the situation, realizing that she had put Sakura in an uncomfortable spot and probably cornered her into admitting things she wasn't ready to. She sat at the foot of Sakura's bed, staying quiet for a few moments while she let Sakura collect her book and return to her former reading position in peace.

"Then… can I still stay?"

Sakura's eyes snapped back to lock with Ino's. "I thought I just told you—"

"It's not like we'll be drinking." Ino said as casually as she could. "Despite what you said, I'd hate for you to spend the night alone," she added in a softer voice.

Sakura was caught off guard. She felt something warm spread across her chest, accompanied by the relief of being around someone she could trust with her life. Despite her earlier protests, she was thankful for Ino's insistence.

"Fine," Sakura relented.

Grinning, Ino kicked off her shoes immediately searched for Sakura's box of nail polish.

"This is okay?" Sakura mumbled. She realized that after everything that's happened between them, having Ino crawl underneath her blanket wasn't the same as before. Not anymore.

"Yes, it's fine." Ino chided, annoyed that this was nearly the hundredth time Sakura asked that.

Of course, maybe it wasn't okay. Ino scooted over closer, pulling the covers up to her neck while she felt Sakura's arms hesitantly wrap around her torso from behind. The warmth and security she felt from Sakura ironically alarmed her. It meant trouble. It meant feelings. Yamanaka Ino realized that she was no longer in the position to be there for Sakura without motive or intention.

Still, Ino hummed in contentment. She appreciated the breeze that blew in from Sakura's open window. She appreciated the warmth that the medic held her with, the sense of comfort and belongingness she felt within her best friend's living quarters. It thrilled her a little and worried her a lot. What a mix, she almost laughed to her self. Throwing caution to the wind, Ino entangled her fingers with Sakura's.

Sakura responded by gently tugging on Ino's shirt with her free hand as if to ask, 'come on over?'

'Okay.' The blonde lifted Sakura's arm off of her torso—letting her hand go for only a fleeting moment—and gracefully rolled over to face the other woman. Sakura's eyes were closed, but Ino would like to think she looked very content at that moment. The medic's arms settled around her waist once again.

"This isn't such a bad alternative to a party," Ino smirked, daring to push a few stray locks of pink from Sakura's face.

"Feel free to leave anytime, then." Sakura lazily opened on eye to throw Ino a sarcastic look, only to be caught off guard by the fact that their noses were almost touching. Instinctively, she pulled back, but Ino pulled on the hand she was holding to keep Sakura in place. Giving in to Ino's insistence, Sakura stayed close, hovering near enough to nuzzle her nose against Ino's, an action which the blonde timidly reciprocated.

Sakura could feel her pulse instantly race, and she licked her lips while pulling Ino closer by the waist. The blonde draped her arm around Sakura's neck and ran her fingers through messy, pink hair. They stilled for a moment, forehead against forehead, and both were apprehensive of taking any further action.

Ino's lips hovered over Sakura's mouth, slightly parted, breathing warm and heavily. Not giving in to her temptation she moved downwards instead, placing a kiss on Sakura's jawline.

Sakura almost cursed out loud. She balled her fists, pulling on Ino's shirt, becoming vividly aware of the warmth and strain pooling between her legs from the tension. Her hand slowly crept up, ruffling Ino's shirt upwards—but then she paused, resuming only when Ino gave her a small nod. Sakura's hand slipped underneath the cloth and lay flat against the bare skin of Ino's side.

Ino had the audacity to wrap her leg around Sakura's waist.

"Ino," Sakura breathed, slowly beginning to explore the skin her palm now had access to. She crept backwards to find the dip of Ino's spine, raising goosebumps where she touched, brushing her fingers lightly against the smooth expanse which was now beginning to sweat from the warmth. Ino cupped Sakura's face and they looked at each other through half-lidded eyes, discovering a new kind of intimacy—different from the transactional and crude exchanges they've previously had.

This is something else.

Sakura was the first one to look away, moving downwards to kiss Ino's throat while her hand continued to trace circles on the bare skin of the blonde's back. A small noise of satisfaction encouraged her to kiss upwards, brushing her lips along Ino's neck up until underneath the blonde's ear. Ino's hand shot back up to gently pull on Sakura's hair.

Oh, god. Sakura really liked that. Gripped by the moment, she pulled her hand out of Ino's shirt, resting her forehead against the other woman's. Her heart raced, and she was surprised to realize that she knew what she wanted and how much she wanted it. Then, Sakura looked at Ino. She slowed down and really looked at her—her blue eyes, darkened by the room, her hair that almost looked platinum. The way she looked back at her. Biting her lip, Sakura felt an ache in her chest and sighed. She felt the built-up sexual tension be released at that moment, and then it was soon replaced by a feeling she couldn't understand.

"I want to kiss you," Sakura whispered.

Ino looked at Sakura's lips and then back into her green eyes. The medic closed her eyes as Ino leaned in.

She felt a warm kiss on her cheek.

Sakura's eyes opened, and she instinctively touched her cheek. She was blushing. She thought—

"I'm sorry," Ino whispered, leaning to rest in the crook of Sakura's neck. "We… should probably just rest."

"I—Uh… Yeah." Sakura bit her lip, feeling like an idiot but understanding her all the same.

Tonight was different.

It had nothing to do with unfortunate medical conditions or well-intentioned 'assistance'. She didn't push Ino away, and neither did the other woman disentangle herself from Sakura. They were content to hold each other comfortably— conservatively—but the reality of the moment was sinking in: it was completely between the two of them, and nothing else, this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is where I left off. Hello! 
> 
> This fic was originally published on fanfiction.net back in 2016 - it has taken me a painfully long time to update. I really love the concept of this story, and am pretty invested in it, but writing the chapters are [for some reason] exhausting in a good way. It took me ten whole months for this one! I suppose it's like my 'favorite child' as of now, so I spend so much time mulling over the characterizations and how it should go next & it's going to be quite a slow burn. (With a lot of little Diakko [LWA] one shots published between this chapter of Unanticipated Effects and the next, lol) But I hope to see you again in the next chapter~
> 
> Let me know what you think! :3
> 
> [Also: Hello, AO3 - I'm new here!]


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